Billings Man Sentenced in Child Methadone Overdose

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A man charged with criminal endangerment after his 2-year-old son overdosed on methadone has been sentenced to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections.

The Billings Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1NolT1D ) 33-year-old Michael James Anthony was sentenced Monday for criminal endangerment and criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

Anthony, who was paralyzed after a motorcycle accident, asked to be considered for a prerelease program so he could continue treatment for his paraplegia. But the judge denied his request, citing the seriousness of the crime and Anthony's criminal record.

Court documents say Anthony's son climbed into a cupboard where he found and drank the liquid methadone, which Anthony had stolen. The 2-year-old was hospitalized and diagnosed with a methadone overdose.

In court, Anthony said doctors didn't expect the child to have lasting brain damage.